Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune
by Eragon96
Summary: Percy wakes up to find a wolf staring at him. He memory is blurry, and he has no idea where he is. How will he survive?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Sitting on a low hill over-looking camp, Reyna watched the stars. It has been three days since the disappearance of Jason. The entire camp has been looking for him, but so far their search had been fruitless. Even the Mars cabin helped, which must mean that they care about him more than they want to admit.

Memories started flooding into her exhausted brain. She tried to push them away. They were too painful, without Jason around. It was here, at this very spot, when she met him for the first time. Reyna could still see him walking behind Lupa, obviously exhausted but trying not to show it. Lupa had found him crying in the Wolf House, not much older than she was. That had been twelve summers ago.

Now, he was gone. If they don't find him soon, Reyna might go crazy.

"Oh Jason, where are you?"

* * *

When he came to his senses, he found himself lying on his back. His head was throbbing and the ground felt cold against his skin. He looked down to find himself wearing an orange T-shirt and jeans. There was a watch on his wrist. A scent of grass hung in the air.

Standing up, he took in his surroundings. He seemed to be standing in the middle of a clearing. Well, at least he thought that it's a clearing. Heavy mist surrounded him and he couldn't see anything for more than twenty paces away.

Suddenly, the back of his neck tingled. Slowly, he turned around and almost jumped out of his skin. Standing in front of him, with its head held high and teeth flashing, was a wolf the size of a lioness.

Instinctively, he pulled out a pen and uncapped it. Immediately it grew until he was holding a one meter long double edge celestial bronze sword with a leather hilt, glowing in the darkness. The wolf didn't even blink. It started pacing around him.

He didn't wait for it to attack. He lugged forward and brought his sword down on top of the wolf, aiming for its shoulder, but it moved with surprising agility and dodged his attack. It jumped to one side and pounced on him before he even realized what happened. Knocked off balance, he fell heavily on the ground and hit his head on a piece of rock. Light danced in his vision.

His sword had been knocked out of his hand. He couldn't see where it was, much less reach it.

The wolf had a paw on his chest. It cocked its head and stared at him with piercing eyes, as if trying to determine whether to eat him or not.

_It's a she-wolf. A female. _He thought. _Wait a minute, how did I know that?_

There was a moment of silence as the two studied one another. Then: _Who are you, child?_

He couldn't believe it, but did it just ask him a question?

"My name… I am Percy Jackson."


	2. Chapter 1: Reyna

I

Reyna

Reyna picked her way through the woods where they recently fought a swarm of Myrmekes. The air is still heavy with the smell of gun powder. This place used to be peaceful. Now, its blackened and smoking.

The day after Jason disappeared, those giant ants started attacking camp. First there was just a few. Now, they attack in swarms. _Why were these Myrmekes attacking us? Why now of all time?_ Reyna keep asking herself. These over-sized creepy crawlies don't even _live_ anywhere near camp.

_Were these attacks somehow connected with Jason's disappearance? Who was behind it?_ Thinking about these depressing things gives Reyna headaches. When the Myrmekes attacked, the camp was thrown into chaos. They fought the Myrmekes with sword, spears and arrows, but couldn't even dent their armor. Then, thanks to Bobby, they were able to repel the first wave of attacks. Still, there were quite a number of casualties. The infirmary was overflowing with wounded.

She wasn't spared herself. She was cut in multiple places and had her left arm dislocated. Even after she was treated, she felt miserable. Although Shane, a son of Apollo and an excellent medic released her to her own quarters so that she might feel better, it didn't help much. Normally at times like these, she'll turn to Jason for company. Being half siblings, he understood her to most. Now that he's missing, she doesn't have anyone to confide with.

_Well, I might as well visit Bobby._ It's been awhile since Reyna last saw him. During the first attack, he accidentally set a charge and got himself a ticket to the infirmary. On the bright side, the explosion vaporized half of the attackers. The rest retreated after seeing their brethren blown to dust. Ever since then, the camp's armory has been busy producing gun powder. They were using it to arm the makeshift cannons positioned around camp.

Even though Reyna was still a good ten meters away from the infirmary, she could already smell the scent of medicine. Although camp had a considerable number of children whom Apollo sired, they were all exhausted from the fighting. So the medics turn to more mundane ways of healing. They use medicinal herbs and mortal treatments instead of magic to get the job done.

Just then, the infirmary door was pulled open. A person with dark skin and beefy arms emerged from the building. When he saw her, he strode toward her and raised a hand in greeting.

"How you doing Reyna?"

"Hey Dakota, been visiting Bobby?"

"Yeah. He's still wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Must have been some explosion."

"You wanna try that? I talked to Kent, and he said it's a miracle Bobby survived." Kent was the healer in charge of Bobby's treatment. "By the way, do you really have time to chat with me? I mean being the son of Vulcan and all, shouldn't you be patching up some building or something?"

"Hey, being a blacksmith doesn't mean that I don't get a break." Dakota winked at her.

Just then, the sky darkened. Suddenly there was tension in the air. Everyone stopped at what they were doing. Then, _BOOM!_, an explosion rocked the earth. There was smoke rising from the northern side of camp. Campers started grabbing armor and weapons and rushed toward it.

Reyna and Dakota looked at each other, eyes wide. "The armory!" They both said. Side by side, they took off.

They call it Castra Primae Legionis, camp of the First Legion. The armory was situated at the north side of camp.

Living quarters and the mess hall were at the east side where they touch the hills. The amphitheatre, stables and sword arena were at the west side near the woods. Castra Primae Legionis has a grape field which they sell to factories to gain income.

When Reyna got there, she thought she was hallucinating. There, attacking the armory, were two dozen daemons. They looked like overgrown bats cross-breeded with humans. Their faces were furry with sharp fangs and big, bulging eyes that glow. Their arms were shriveled and they have claws instead of hands. On their backs were two huge bat-like wings. Their legs were small and stubby. Reyna almost laughed at their appearance, but when they turn their glowing eyes in her direction, she decided that she better not get on the wrong side with them. Wait, they're already on the wrong side!

The daemons were formidable foes. Already there were wounded campers lying around moaning in pain, some were unconscious. Reyna was already tired from fighting the Myrmekes and her strength hasn't recovered yet. Still, she did the natural thing. She drew her sword and charged.

At first things seem to go well. Somebody manned a nearby catapult and started lobbing fifty ton rocks. Reinforcements keep coming and they were able to push the attackers back. Some were vaporized and their numbers decreased to a mere half dozen. Then, Reyna heard a sound, one that recently haunted the woods: the sound of scuttling feet like hundreds of insect legs. "What the heck…" Dakota didn't finish his sentence. They stared in horror as a dozen Myrmekes burst out of the woods. Reyna thought: _That's it. We're doomed_.

The remaining warriors readied themselves. They heaved their swords, strapped on their shields and helmets. Reyna instinctively stood back to back with Dakota, her face grim. At least she would die fighting with true friends. She wondered how many of them could she take.

As one, the monsters charged. Reyna took a deep breath and await the on-coming swarm of pincers and claws. Dakota gripped his spear tightly.

That was when they heard the howl of a wolf.


	3. Chapter 2: Percy

II

Percy

When Percy found himself staring into the eyes of a she-wolf, he thought: _Great, I'm going to be wolf dinner._ He was lying on his back. An easy target. Then it did something unexpected. It backed away from him. He rose and said in amazement: "I thought you wanted me for dinner." It curled its lips and gave him a sly smile. _I sense you are a powerful one. Come. We are in need of your assistance._

With that, it turned and bounded ahead. Percy sighed. _Just a minute ago, you wanted to eat me. Now you want me to follow you?_ Never less, he followed her. He had already decided that the she-wolf must be a goddess or something. It had an air of command and seemed to radiate power. _Who else could a talking wolf be? And what is this place?_ He couldn't remember how he got here, wherever HERE is.

Percy was so buried in thought that he slammed right into the wolf and almost sent them both tumbling down a cliff. Luckily, the wolf was light on her feet and steadied him. He could hear the sound of fighting and cries at high pitch.

_Look_. It pointed with its snout at the clearing below them. At first, he couldn't see anything. Then the fog parted and he could see heavy fighting going on below him. And there was something else, something…huge? There were six legged things that looked suspiciously like ants. And there was something milling at their feet, ghostly shapes that Percy recognized but can't tell where or when did he saw them before. And they were fighting someone… people? They looked tiny in comparison.

_First, gigantic wolves. Now, gigantic ants. Why does everything have to be huge? _

"Those are Keres … I think. Battlefield spirits, I fought them before, but…" Percy's voice trailed off. His memory was fuzzy. His head hurt every time he tried to remember things. He had a mother, Sally Jackson and stepfather Paul Blofis. His girl friend's name was… What was her name? Ah… Annabeth Chase. How could he forget that?

_Percy, if you're going to stand there dreaming, I'll kill you myself._ Percy turned and gasped. Behind him, sitting in a semi-circle, were twelve wolves. "Um…, do you need that many? Really, I'm not that hard to kill." He cracked a nervous smile. The she-wolf said in irritation: _I have summoned help. They will aid us._

"Aid us? In what?" Then it struck him. "You want us to fight them?" He waved his hand at the scene below. "We'll get squashed! And are those Myrmekes? One bite and they could paralyze you! And how did you summon them? They won't stand a chance against these giant monsters!" The she-wolf curled its lips upward and made a sound that Percy suspect as laughter. _Oh, young one. You know nothing about wolves._ Her eyes were so bright that they shine in the dark. _They are formidable fighters. And we have the element of surprise._

Without another word, she sprinted toward the battle grounds, her wolves at her side. Percy hesitated. What if it's a trap? A plot to kill him? _She doesn't even know me. _Percy reasoned. _Still, why do I get the feeling that I shouldn't be here? Might as well follow her._ He put on a burst of speed and race after the pack. When he got there, they were hidden behind a line of trees.

"What are we waiting for?"

_The right time. Pick your own targets. Attack at my command._

She spoke with such authority that even Percy obeyed. For a guy with ADHD, it was hard. Instinctively, he uncapped his ball pen. At a hunch, he pressed his wristwatch which expanded into a shield 1 meter in diameter. "Wow!" It had something engraved on the surface but he didn't have time for it. Fight now. Examine shield later. _After these, we need to talk._ The she-wolf looked at him and said. Then, it raised its head and howled.

As one, they charged the enemy. _I must be crazy._ Percy thought before he was swept into the storm of battle.

Seconds into the fight and Percy did the stupidest. He took on a Myrmeke. He yelled: "For Poseidon!" and charged it, bringing his sword down on its flank. It turned around, deflected the blow, and slash at him with its pincers. Percy managed to block the attack with his shield but the sheer force of it sent him flying into a tree. He landed with a loud CRUNCH! "Ow…" He stood up, dazed but unharmed. A wood nymph suddenly appeared beside him. She looked at him, then at the wreckage, then back at him, her face full of wonder and amazement. "How did you…, how could you have survived that impact? That much force would have broken all your bones!"

Percy took a shaky breath. "Curse of Achilles…invincible to most injuries…I think." At that very moment, a Myrmeke charged him. His mind went to auto-pilot. He jumped, cart-wheeling over it and came down behind it. He slashed, dodged its strikes and danced around it. _Percy, when you have a shorter weapon, get close to you opponent._ Percy heard a person's voice in his head. He knew that voice but can't tell where he heard it before.

The Myrmeke tried to impale him with its pincers and at that instant he stepped forward and trusted his sword into its now opened monster mouth. The Myrmeke exploded into monster dust and sank into the ground. "One down, about eleven more to go." Percy sighed, heaved his sword, readjust his shield, and dove back into the battle.

Percy was busy making monster-chops when the she-wolf bounded toward him. _Percy, use your powers. _She was breathing hard and there were cuts and bruises all over her fur. One of her ears was bleeding. _We will not hold much longer unless you do something. Use your powers or we will all perish._ She said insistently. Her eyes were like laser, trying to bore holes in him. He felt a shiver run down his spine. "Um…, ok, I'll try."

Percy stood up straight, took a deep breath, and willed himself to be surrounded by water. Immediately, he felt his gut pull. He waited, gathering strength. He can fell the sea, can feel its immenseness. He imagined himself pulling them towards him. Suddenly, he heard the sound of running water, thousands upon thousands of gallons of water rushing towards him across trees, across rocks, across hills. He felt himself pulling them towards him, forming a gigantic sphere of water, ever moving, ever expanding. He felt the power of the ocean in his veins, he felt as if he could lift mountains. And he felt the pressure of it. The pressure of the water, the urge to let it go, to let it explode. He suppressed it, let it build. The more it built, the weaker he felt. _I have to release it now or I'm a goner._

Percy closed his eyes. With a yell, he unleashed the energy he was storing up. He let it take over, felt it expanded outward, felt it crush his enemies to nothing. He could hear the squeals of terror from the monsters, the cries of astonishment from the warriors as they got an uninvited bath, and the howl of a wolf. Lastly, he saw a young girl with stormy grey eyes and blonde hair smiling at him and reaching out her hand. Her lips move as if saying something but he couldn't hear it. He smiled and raised his hand. Somehow he recognized the girl. It was Annabeth.

Then, darkness.


	4. Chapter 3: Percy

III

Percy

Percy woke up lying on a cave floor. His head felt like it was stampeded by a Minotaur. He tried to think but instead he had a moment of terror. His mind was blank. Then suddenly everything came to him. His name is Percy Jackson. He was just involved in a horrific battle and blacked out while making water go BOOM. _Still, why am I in a cave?_ It's so dark in here he can't see anything.

"So, you're one of the seven." A voice sounded throughout the cave. A chill went down Percy's spine. "I heard you defeated my son Kronos, that you were the reason Atlas failed to free himself. What an honor to finally meet you." Laughter followed. "My sons the Titans might have failed, but this is one war you will not win. My other children will rise and destroy the gods, and the age of the gods will end."

"Who are you?" Percy yelled into the darkness. "Who I am is not important." The voice seemed to be coming from the ground, as if the earth itself had learnt how to talk. "I have someone you know, someone you care a lot." And suddenly a girl appeared in front of him, hovering inches above the ground. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was entirely encased in mud, save her head. Her eyes were close, obviously unconscious. There was a deep cut on her forehead.

"Annabeth!" Percy gasped. "What have you done to her?" He demanded. "Be quiet, son of Neptune. She is merely unconscious. No harm will come to her, not now anyway." Percy balled his fist. He didn't like watching his friends get hurt, especially Annabeth. "If you want her back, find her. Find me. " There was a shrill laughter, and Percy felt the presence withdrew. "Wait! Who are you? What do you want with me?" suddenly, everything turned upside-down and the cave disappeared, along with the mud-encased Annabeth. "What the…Annabeth!"

Percy's stomach twisted, and his vision blurred.

"Annabeth!" Percy sat up. He was breathing hard and soaked with sweat. He was lying in a bed, the kind that hospitals used. The smell of medicine was heavy. He turned his head around but found it hard to see. The light was dim. Still, he could just make out two lines of beds, both lined against the wall. He seemed to be in a very long room. Most of the beds were occupied by people with various levels of injuries.

He was tired. His entire body was sore, and he felt a little light-headed. His arms and legs felt like lead and his mouth was dry. He looked around and reached for a glass of water on the table beside him. Percy took a sip and immediately felt a whole lot better. He took another sip and felt energy sipping into his veins, reenergizing him. He sighed in contempt.

"So, the savior awakes." A girl appeared standing beside his bed. He almost choked. He could've sworn that she was not there a minute ago. He looked up to see a girl with shoulder-length blond hair frowning down at him. She had sky-blue colored eyes that seemed to be sizing him. And she wore a Roman-like armor. "Normally, I don't say this to most people, much less strangers, but I'll make an exception. Thanks." Percy just stared at her blankly. "You saved camp. If it hadn't been for you, those monsters would surely have overrun our parameters."

"Who are you?" Percy asked. He couldn't stop himself. Being ADHD and all, he tends to just blurt things out.

"I am Reyna, interim praetor of the First Legion."

"Legion? You mean as like a Roman legion? Why would there be a gazillion year-old army in America? And what is an interim praetor? Is it a pie maker or something? And why am I lying in a morgue?" Percy was confused. He just got knocked out making exploding moisture, and now there's a girl standing in front of him talking about ancient empires and other stuff he couldn't interpret.

The girl named Reyna gave him a small smile. For some reason, she found him amusing. "For one who destroyed hordes of monsters single-handedly, you don't seem to have any idea as to what situation you're in. First of all, you're in the camp of the First Legion, otherwise known as Castra Primae Legionis. This is where the legion lives, where we train and sleep. Second of all, interim praetor is _not_ a pie machine dummy, it's a rank. I'm second in command of this legion. And you're _not_ in a morgue, son of Neptune, you're in an infirmary, get it?" She frowned at him.

"Um…so who's the commander?" Percy said.

"He's…not here right now." Reyna was suddenly interested in her armor straps.

"Oh…" _Touchy subject._ "So… who's Neptune?"

"What? You don't know who Neptune is and yet you're his son? Who are you?" She had a puzzled look.

"I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

"Poseidon…That's the Greek name for Neptune. Why are you calling the gods by their Greek names? You feeling ok?"

Percy remained silent. He kept staring at her face, trying to remember something.

"Uh…Percy, why are you staring at me like that?" Reyna shifted uncomfortably.

"Its just…you remind me of a friend of mine, Thalia Grace. She a daughter of Zeus. You two have similar features. You know her?"

Reyna eyed him suspiciously. "Ok, that's it. You're coming with me. You need to see Lupa. She'll know what to do with you. She started to move towards him to help him up. "Oh, no offense but why are you not hurt? I mean you're the only person I saw that doesn't have a cut on him."

"About that, a sort of had a swim in the river Styx last summer. Curse of Achilles. I took on that curse so I could…I could…" Percy's head started to throb again. He swayed and almost crash to the floor but Reyna caught him. She heaved him to his feat.

"Come on." Reyna said grimly. "I'll introduce you to Lupa."


	5. Chapter 4: Reyna

IV

Reyna

The way things turned out wasn't what Reyna expected. One minute she was about to be stampeded by an overgrown ant, the next thing she was saved by an exploding water balloon. Everything happened so fast that she was having trouble processing it.

When the Myrmekes appeared, most of the campers were injured, some were not moving. From how Reyna saw it, their chances of winning these fight was microscopic. With so many down, it's one against two, and they were up against _Myrmekes_, which possess carapace so thick they have to hack at it for countless times to break it. There's a catapult nearby, if she could just reach it in time, she could use it to fire at them

Reyna was about to make a move when a howl pierced the night sky. She almost smiled at that. That sound reenergized her. It made her believe that all is well, that they could beat the invaders. She turned toward Dakota and grinned. They both know that howl very well. It was the call of the wolves. The call of Lupa.

From the woods on her left, a dozen wolves burst out of it and race toward the monsters, and Lupa was right in the middle. Her red coat stood out among the silver of others, and her eyes seem to glow in the moon light. They attacked with such ferocity that even the daemons backed up. And then she saw something that surprised her. Among the wolves was a boy. He looked to be about sixteen, with black hair and sea green eyes. A look at him and she could tell that he was a half-blood, and not just any half-blood, he was someone powerful. She could sense his aura of power. _Sure hope he's here to help. We could use some now._

The boy was armed. He had a sword in one hand and a round shield on the other. The shield seemed to have some carvings on it but she was too far to make out what it was. _Why is he using a Greek shield?_ Reyna was curious. "Not now, later. I got to get to the catapult." She said to herself. At that, she raced toward it, keeping her head down as she ran, dodging and rolling to avoid getting killed. Somewhere in the background, she could hear a camper yelling a battle-cry.

When Reyna was ten feet from the catapult, she heard a cry of pain from behind her. She turned around to find Dakota kneeling on the ground clutching his right arm. A Myrmeke stood before him, its pincers snapping. She could see blood trickling down from the wound. Anger weld-up inside her. She pointed her sword at it and yelled. The air suddenly smelled of ozone. Lightning strict across the sky, striking her blade and blasting the Myrmeke upon its head. The force of it was so powerful it exploded to smithereens. Her vision blurred but she resisted the urge to black-out.

Reyna staggered over to Dakota's side, where he lay on the ground. His wound was bleeding freely, and a pool of blood was taking shape beside him. His face was pale, and his eyes were half closed. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. "Hang in there, Dakota. Hang in there." Reyna realized that he must have been covering her back. He had intercepted that strike, using himself as a shield. He had protected her back and now he's lying in her arms, the wound sapping his already-depleted strength. Jason's gone, now Dakota's going too. She felt as if she will fall apart any moment soon. "Its not as bad as it seems." Dakota said, giving her a weak smile. Then, he sank into the sea of unconsciousness.

"Pull yourself together, Reyna. Think." She looked around and saw a tent next to the catapult. Reyna got up and dragged him behind it. There, she laid him on the grass. She tore off a piece of fabric and tried to stem the cut. She pressed it against Dakota's arm, and in seconds the cloth was soaked. "This is no good. The blood keeps flowing. Urgh…I'm not good at this." Reyna cursed in Latin.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around her changed. It seemed…wetter, more like the air in a swamp forest. There was more moisture in it. Instinctively, Reyna raised her sword. She looked around, expecting monsters, but nothing seemed to have changed. The battle still raged around her and Dakota. Then, she heard an unexpected sound: the sound of waves. _Impossible! We're miles from the beach. _Reyna thought. Then, from all sides, water burst into the clearing, flooding up to her knee. Another thing had caught her attention. Toward her left, she could sense power gathering. She turned toward the center of the battlefield, and was stunned with what she saw. There, standing in the center, was the boy that charged into the midst of battle with Lupa. He was completely encased in a sphere of clear blue water. _Am I hallucinating, or is he glowing?_ Reyna blinked her eyes. Sure enough, the boy had a greenish glow around him. The air around him hummed with power. _Yup, he's someone powerful. _Real_ powerful._

With a yell, the boy released the energy he was storing up. The giant water balloon exploded. Everything was blasted back ten meters. The monsters went KABOOM! instantly. Some campers crashed into tents, tearing the fabric and collapsing the entire structure, but most were just drenched from head to toe. Reyna wasn't spared herself. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she was covered in bits of dirt that were washed by the water. Dakota was soaked too, but at least his arm looked better. The wound was washed and clean of dirt.

Reyna stood up and took a look at the place. Most campers were starting to get up. They were dazed but otherwise unharmed. Some of the tents were flattened. Thankfully, the fire from the armory was put out. Seeing the damage done to it, she sighed. The armory won't be functioning for a while.

The monsters were gone. There was no trace of them anywhere. Even the piles of monster dusts were washed away.

A groan brought her back to reality. "Ok, everybody. Let's get the wounded to the infirmary. Come on. This isn't the time to celebrate." Reyna called out. Those monsters may be destroyed, but there were still a lot of wounded to tend to.

One by one, the able-bodied picked themselves up and walked toward their fallen comrades. Groans and cries of pain could be hurt as the wounded were carried away from the battlefield toward the infirmary. Field medics rushed forward to tend to those who were too injured to be moved. Reyna handed Dakota to a medic, careful not to touch his badly-slashed arm. Then she saw Lupa and walked toward her.

_Come here, my dear._ Lupa said to her. _Take him to the infirmary. Bring him to me when he wakes. I will be at the sword arena. _ "Him? The savior was powerful enough to destroy _all_ the monsters, but can't even get to the infirmary by himself?" Even so, Reyna wrapped her arm around him and hoisted him to his feet. _Strange, not a scratch on him._ Reyna wondered as she dragged him toward the gold-and-silver building.

She entered the infirmary and dumped him on an empty bed. Then she saw Kent and called to him. "Hey Kent, can you take a look at this guy? Lupa wanted me to take him in here."

"Sure. Hold on a minute." Kent said a few more words to a guy he was talking to. Then, he strode toward her.

"I'm not much of a healer, but he doesn't seem to be hurt. I can't even find a scratch on him."

"Hmm…you're right Reyna. Who _is_ he? I've never seen him before. New recruit? " Kent was equally puzzled.

"No. First time I've seen him too. He came rushing into battle along with Lupa. If you want answers, better ask her."

"Well, one thing's for sure, he's handsome." Kent said with a grin.

"Oh shut up." Reyna rolled her eyes. She slapped him on the shoulder.

"I'll just leave him here to rest. He's used up a lot of energy. I don't know who he is, but we sure owe him a lot." Kent gave the unconscious boy a weary look. He straighten up and rubbed his eyes. It strike Reyna that he was exhausted. While she was defending camp, he was busy caring for the wounded.

"Hey, why don't you take a break. I'll call you if I need help with him." Kent stared at her for a moment. "Yeah. Ok. You know where to find me when you need me." He turned around and strode toward the living quarters.

And now, as Reyna was lugging Percy toward the sword arena, she was deep in thought. Something this Percy guy said kept nagging her at the back of her head. _He said…Grace? Why did he said that name? Isn't that Jason's surname? Ugh…now's not the time to dwell on these thoughts. Better get him to Lupa first._

Percy wasn't helping either. He was drowsy and kept tripping. All the way, campers peeked out of tents and looked at the duo curiously. A few stopped what they were doing and came towards Reyna, but she motioned to them that she didn't need any help.

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a white building decorated with intricate gold lines. There were carvings of warriors sparring with spears and swords. There's also a picture of people holding long rectangular shields and standing shoulder to shoulder, drilling a phalanx formation. They have spears sticking out between the gaps. The building's doors were massive steel blocks with eagles carved on them, their eyes were gold and angled downward so they seemed to be staring at those who enter. Reyna had past them for countless times, but they seem creepier on this particular night.

"Everything doesn't feel right these days." She muttered, pulling Percy along. He had been recovering from his seizure, and now he seemed to be back to normal. Still, he was a little shaky. He had been looking around and now he was focusing his attention on the eagles.

"Come on Percy, time to meet Lupa."

"Um… who is Lupa?" Percy was a little nervous.

"You'll see. Come, she wanted me to take you to her once you wake up. Why do you look so nervous? Really, she's not _that_ scary once you know her." Reyna didn't know whether to be amused by his reaction or not. He was still pretty much shrouded in mystery.

Percy turned away from her and stared at the doors. Those giant eagles were spooky. Not that he was scared, but he had this feeling of wrongness, like he must not be here, at this camp. The eagles kept staring at him, as if daring him to come any closer. And the way others treat him, as if his appearance was a mystery. None of them seemed to know him, and he was pretty sure he hadn't seen them before. At least the girl Reyna wasn't aggressive.

Percy took a deep breath. "So, through the door way?" He looked at Reyna.

Reyna nodded. "Through the door way." Together, they pushed open the giant double-doors and went in.


	6. Chapter 5: Percy

V

Percy

The sword arena was unlike anything Percy had ever seen before. For one thing, it was huge, at least half the size of a football field. On one side, the walls were equipped with every weapon a person could think of, from long swords and Roman gladiuses to bows and guns. There were crossbows, scimitars, daggers, riffles and other weapons he didn't recognize. There was a weird looking spear. Its shaft was at least a meter long, with blades attached to both ends. Its shaft seemed to have some carvings on it, but Percy was too far to see the details. _Who in the world would use such a weapon?_ He wondered. He was pretty sure he had never seen one like that.

On the other side, Percy saw shields of various sizes and colors, although he noticed that most of them were rectangular and painted red and gold. Some had a picture of an eagle emblazoned on the front while others had a simple design of an eight-pointed star. The building may not seem big from the outside, but standing in it, Percy was in a whole new world.

"How can it be so spacious in here when on the outside it's no bigger than a three-storey office building?"

"It's magic. The arena is magically stretched to fit a hundred people. It's been like this ever since it was built centuries ago." Reyna replied in matter-of-fact way. Percy noticed that she was studying him and tried to ignore it.

He was impressed. The fact that this huge building was centuries old did not seem possible to him. "You're kidding right? This arena, built centuries ago? I mean a building that's been standing for the past hundred years ought to have some damage." This place seemed as if it was built yesterday. The wall carvings were still sharp and beautiful. The three rows of seat that rose above the walls shone in the moonlight. _Some maintenance. They must have scrubbed it a hundred times a day._

Reyna shook her head. "We don't kid about these things. It _is_ in fact centuries old. Why? Same answer, magic. Now, no more questions. You have an appointment." And at that, she turned and strode off. Percy sighed and followed. _Must everything be so serious?_ He tried to collect his thoughts. _Let's see, I woke up lying on my back, dived into battle with wolves, got knocked out using my powers, and now I'm going to meet someone name Lupa. Hmm…that's about it. I wonder who this Lupa person is?_

He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize that he had crossed the entire length of the arena, and now he was standing in front of a humanoid statue 10 meters tall. On its arm was an eagle with its wing spread out and beak slightly open. There was a thunderbolt in its beak. _Eagles again. Is it that popular here?_ Reyna was right beside the statue, beside a rack of swords.

"So, who's Lupa? And where is he?" Percy asked as he got closer. Reyna remained silent, and he was about to ask again when he saw movement in the shadows and a beast with reddish fur appeared. It was his friend the giant she-wolf. "Oh, it's you." She didn't look as if she'd been through a battle.

_I am Lupa. I have asked Reyna to bring you to me as soon as you awakened._ Lupa's eyes seemed to be analyzing him. Percy gulped. _So the giant wolf is Lupa. Make sense._ "Um… why did you want to see me?"

_To clear things up. First, how old are you?_

"Well, I'm almost 17, I guess."

_And do you know where you are, Percy?_

"I'm guessing this is a military camp. As to why its inhabited by teenagers using prehistoric weapons to fight monsters when there's guns available I don't know. And you might ask me how I got here. Two words, 'no idea.' I just woke up with a headache and then you found me. You know the rest." He shrugged.

"You don't remember anything? Anything at all?" Reyna asked.

Percy shook his head. "Not much. Just bits and pieces."

_Who trained you?_ Something about Lupa's voice had changed.

"I… I don't remember. Every time I try to remember I'll have this stabbing pain in my head." Percy shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

"Um…what are you two talking about?" Reyna had a puzzled look.

Percy started to reply. "Lupa ρωτούν ακριβώς…" His voice faltered. "Wow, what was that?"

_You understand Greek. Most can recognized a few words, but it takes practice to fully master it. _Lupa was looking at Percy. _You are a very curious person, Percy Jackson. Is there nothing else you can tell us?_

Percy took a deep breath. "Well, I guess you might want to hear about this little adventure I had when I was out cold." He told them about dream, about the cave and the voice that seemed to come from deep within the earth. "And the voice said something about other children rising and destroying gods. That's bad, isn't it?" He intentionally kept the capture of Annabeth from them. He had a feeling that this piece of information should not be mentioned.

"Wait a minute. You claim that the voice said that you defeated Kronos? That's not possible!" Reyna said with disbelieve. "How can you go up against the army of Kronos? It'll be suicide! And even if you did, you'd be dead!"

"Like I said, I'm not sure." Percy was puzzled again.

"During the Titan war, Jason led us against the Titan's fortress. We slayed the guards there and Jason personally defeated the Titan Krios. After the battle, the fortress crumbled and the Titan army disintegrated by themselves while assaulting Mount Olympus. No army was sent there."

"No, it wasn't like that. I…" His head hurt again. _It's not like what she said, I'm sure of it. But how…?_

Lupa had been silent throughout the conversation, and now she growled to get their attention. _Enough of this. Now Percy, you must be tested._ She gestured with her head toward the entrance of the arena. Percy saw three people heading towards them. _Your challenge approaches. Be ready._

"Oh come on. You still want to test me? I just went through a battle!" Percy can't believe it. _She still wants to test me even after I had already fought a battle. Is she nuts?_

By then, the three figures had closed most of the distance between them. He could see that two of them were girls and the other a bot. They were about his age. The boy was obviously in the lead. He was running a few feet in front of the other two.

"So Lupa, you want us to test him?" The lead boy said when he reached them. He studied Percy. "He doesn't look that tough. Hey Reyna, you sure it's him who we should thank for saving camp?" He was sneering.

Right at that point, Percy knew that they won't get along well. "I won't fight you."

"Sure you have a choice?" At that, he drew his sword and charged.


	7. Chapter 6: Mark

VI

Mark

Mark was nervous even if he didn't show it. He was trained not to show weakness. The idea of sparring with a guy who defeated monsters when it took half the camp to just fight them didn't appeal to him. Sure, he was one of the best swordsman the camp had, but everyone isn't invincible right? _Of all the people, why did Lupa chose me? She could ask Reyna to do it. _He sighed. _Well, orders are orders._

He charged the guy with sea green eyes, his sword raised. He cross the distance between them and brought his sword down on the guys shoulder. The guy, Mark decided to call him Greeny, was quick. He sidestepped easily and dodged Mark's attack. While doing so, he took something out of his pocket. _A pen? A pen won't do him any good. Ah well, Lupa said to attack him with all I have. Guess I can't help him._

Then Greeny did something that surprised him even more. He uncapped his pen. It started to glow, and in an instance he was holding a glowing bronze blade a meter long, its twin edges gleaming in the moonlight. _That is one wicked blade. I got to get one like that. Come to think of it, it doesn't look like a Roman sword. Hmm, I'll ask him later. That is, if he survives the test._

Mark stabbed and slashed, whirling from one stand to another, trying to wound his adversary. He let himself sink into the dimension of fighting, let his instincts take over. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get to him. Greeny dodged and parried with such speed that it was hard for Mark to believe that he was just any demigod. He almost got Mark when he stabbed at him, aiming for his stomach. Mark just had time to deflect the blow. His sword hand went numb and he almost dropped his sword, but he held on. _Man, that was close. I got to watch out for those kinds of blows._ He was already panting and sweating, his clothes were sticking to his skin. But Greeny didn't seem tired. His strokes were well aimed and powerful. _I can't keep this up much longer._ Mark could already picture himself, lying on the arena floor, with Greeny's sword at his throat.

He was about to surrender before he got chopped into bits when Lupa interfered, stepping in between them and forcing them to stop. Greeny had his sword high in the air, ready to rain down another hale thrust and jabs. He was sweating a bit and panting too, but not as much as Mark. _That's it, who the hell is this guy?_

_Stop. That is enough. Percy, lower your sword._ Lupa glanced at Mark, then at Greeny, noting their current condition. _Man, this is way below my usual performance. Who is this guy? He could have taken Jason!_ Mark's head was filled with questions. First Jason disappears, and then somebody appears at camp. Someone is definitely messing with them.

"I got one question for you Greeny. Who the heck are you?" Mark straighten up and looked at him. His face was glistened with sweat, but he was barely exhausted.

"My name is Percy Jackson, _not_ Greeny. Where'd you get that?" Percy glared back at him.

"Wow, calm down hotshot. I called you that 'cause of your eyes. And who taught you sword-fighting? You're good, man." Mark wasn't sure as to be impressed or not. Just now, he was supposed to treat him as an enemy. _I really hope he's on our side. If I fight him, I don't like my chances._ At first, when Mark saw him, he seemed like a regular guy. Now, he seemed like a…_Oh I don't know, god in disguise?_

"Don't tell me to calm down. _You_ should explain yourself. I just met you for not more than two seconds and you came slashing at me like a crazed hippocampus."

"Um…not to be rude and all, but what's a hippocampus?" Mark was puzzled. It sounded like a hippo, but what's with the campus? _He isn't just good at fighting, he even has a weird vocabulary._

_Quiet, both of you._ Lupa said with a growl. Her eyes flashed dangerously. _Percy, I wanted to see how you fight. In truth, you have exceeded all expectations. I expect you to be tired and exhausted after the battle, but you seem to be in good condition._

Mark stared at Lupa, unable to believe what he had just heard. _Did she just give him a compliment?_ Lupa was known to be stern and serious. She doesn't joke much. Wolves were not known to have humor. If you're not brave, or if they think you're not worthy of their attention, you'll end up as their meal.

Mark was not the only one who was surprised. The others were also staring at Lupa and Percy, their mouths slightly open. Then one of the two girls that came with him managed to get her jaw working. "How did you _do_ that?"

Percy seemed uneasy with all the attention. "Um… do what?"

"Hazel was asking how did you manage to defeat one of the camp's best swordsman." The other girl standing next to her replied. She had grey eyes that seemed to be calculating a million questions at once.

"Wait. Before I start answering any questions, can somebody please give me answers? I mean, I don't know where _here_ is, I don't know how I got here, and why is everybody so tense?"

"Um… Percy…" Reyna was eyeing Lupa. Mark was nervous too. Its not a good idea to talk that way when Lupa's around. She was very strict and emphasized on discipline. _Well, he is brave. I'll give him that. Wonder what Lupa will do. She seldom tolerates that kind of attitude. Come to think of it, none of our campers have that attitude. We were taught to be discipline._ Mark was mildly impressed. _Seems that he has a lot of surprises up his sleeve._

Lupa gnashed her teeth. _Child, I do not tolerate anger, but you don't know our ways, and for that I'll let it pass. But you will _not _talk that way in front of me again. Is that clear?_ Mark could feel Lupa holding back her rage. She was snarling.

Percy backed up. He seemed surprise at Lupa's outburst. "Sorry ma'am." He gulped. "It's just… I'm just confused."

Lupa flicked her tail. _Mark, Hazel, take him to the living quarters. After that, come to The Cave. The rest of you, stay._ It was obvious that the meeting was over.

_Well that was a close shave._ Mark felt his nerves loosen. "This way Greeny, let's get you settled down." Mark patted Percy on the back. He was still a bit dazed. Hazel tagged along, trying to hide her astonishment. "Hey Hazel, you might want to wipe off that expression. It makes you look like a fish out of the water."

"Oh, shut up." Hazel made a face. She turned to Percy. "Come on Percy, I'll show you the way. You don't want Mark leading."

"Um…why?" Percy stared at her.

"Well, he's a son of Mercury, so he might just lead you through a lot of trouble just for the fun of it."

"Hey, I don't always do that." Mark looked offended. Hazel ignored him. _Just one comment and she's on to me._ He sighed.

"Mercury? The type that's use for thermometers?" Percy asked.

_Enough. Off you go._ Lupa sounded inpatient. Hazel didn't want to make her mad again so the trio left at once.


	8. Chapter 7: Percy

VII

Percy

After participating in a battle, knocked out of conscious and forced to fight for his life, Percy was ready to call it a day. Lupa's outburst had really freaked him out. _I'm just confused. Is it really necessary?_ He sighed. _I nearly got my throat slit back there. Guess I have to watch my attitude in front of her._

His shoulders sagged. Even though he didn't show it, his fight with this Mark guy had exhausted his reserves. Still, there was something about this guy that puzzled him. The way he fights was unlike anything Percy had ever seen. He glanced at Mark walking behind him. The guy seemed okay, but his attitude before the fight and now was completely different. _What have I gotten myself into?_

The girl was walking in front of him, glancing at him once in a while. She had honey blonde hair tied in a ponytail and a bow slung over her shoulder. A quiver hung from her waist. She seemed friendly, but there was still an air of seriousness around her.

"Its Hazel right? You haven't answered my question. Who's Mercury?"

She turned around. There was a puzzled look on her face. "Well, you're obviously a half-blood, seeing the way you fight and all, so how could you not know Mercury? He's the god of thieves, travelers, anyone who uses the road." Mark was also looking at him curiously.

"Uh…isn't that Hermes? Why Mercury?" Percy was even more puzzled now.

Now it was Mark's turn to look confused. "Hermes? What the heck is _hermes_?"

Hazel thought for a while. "I remember Gwendolyn telling me that the gods were called differently in Greek times. If I'm not mistaken, Hermes is the Greek name of Mercury, which is Roman. We use the god's Roman names. You're one of us, so why would you use them?"

"I don't know." His head started throbbing again. "It just comes natural." They fell silent.

Percy watched his surroundings as he was lead through camp. The buildings around him look like Roman architecture, with arches and other characteristics. He noticed that most of them were rectangular. And they were all new. _Wow, I'm impressed._ Torches hung on braziers, casting everything in an orange glow.

Then he noticed a four-storey building that was much bigger than others. It had an air of authority, with big windows and an eagle statue on top, with its wings spread out as if about to take off, and its beak slightly open. The eagle was huge, at least 5 meters across and three meters in height. It seemed to be shrieking at the sky.

"What is it with you people and eagles? I've been here for some time and the only statues that I've seen are all eagles." Percy turned toward Hazel.

Hazel frowned. "This is the camp of the First Legion, otherwise known as Castra Primea Legionis. The eagle is the emblem of our legion. It is also the symbol of Jupiter, king of the gods." She was eyeing him as if he was an idiot. "That's it. Enough questions. Come on, I want to check something before we leave _media castra_."

Percy was about to ask what the heck was a media castra, but he stopped himself. _I do _not_ want her shooting at me._ He has no doubt that her aim was flawless. He didn't want to get turned into a porcupine. _I'd have enough fights for one day._

Hazel led them through a few streets, bending into side-walks. All the way, teenagers stared at Percy, their gaze burning into him. Finally, they stop before a massive building. A purple banner was draped in front of the entrance. Blazing braziers hung on large marble columns. The entrance was flanked by four guards in full body armor. They had spears in their hands and swords strapped to their sides. Each of them carried those rectangle shields Percy saw hanging on the wall in the arena.

"Wait here." Hazel told him and Mark before disappearing into the building. Percy gave Mark a questioning look. "This is the _centrum__communicationum_. From here, we handle communications from camp to the outside world. For example, when we sent out scout teams, they'll be equipped with earpieces that allow them to talk with us and one another."

"Earpieces? Like the things FBI agents use during an operation?" Percy was puzzled again.

Mark gave him a small smile. For some reason, he found Percy's confusion amusing. "We take the design, but ours is magical. As long as the user is within 10 kilometers of one another, we can communicate. We don't use electronics. They tend to go haywire."

"Um…, fine then." Percy could imagine himself walking into an appliances store and suddenly all the televisions and stereos started dancing cha-cha. That would be awkward.

"Hey, you're not seriously going to use a phone or something right? You'd attract tons of monsters. Demigods using cell phones would be like sending a flare up, asking monsters to give you a facial make-over." Mark gave him a nervous.

Percy's head started hurting again. _Where have I heard that before? Someone told me that before…Ugh, this is painstaking._ He felt as if he was close to remembering something, like a picture was solidifying in his mind, but the key puzzle is still missing.

Just then, Hazel came back out of the _centrum__communicationum_. She looked tensed. "Any luck?" Mark asked. Hazel shook her head. "Nay, they're still looking." "Um, looking for _who_?" Percy asked, his nerves shaking.

Hazel ignored his question. "Come on Percy, let's get you settled down." And at that, she strode of towards the east side of camp, leaving Mark and Percy to follow her.

Percy sighed. _So much for a first day._


End file.
